


o'er the fields we go

by NotSummer



Series: 2017 Life Day Prompts [4]
Category: Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Stationary Shop, Christmas Presents, F/M, Flirting, Fluff, Holidays, Romantic Fluff, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, i guess?, i might be a nerd, im making that a thing, nothing is more romantic than the smell of ink and old paper
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-06
Updated: 2017-12-06
Packaged: 2019-02-11 09:54:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,551
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12932793
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NotSummer/pseuds/NotSummer
Summary: Holiday Prompt: Person A brings Person B to the shopping mall because Person B is a terrible wrapper. Person C is retail worker who has been wrapping gifts, and is the one A finds to show B how to wrap. Person C thinks person B does a terrible job but also thinks Person B is cute, so they decide to help.





	o'er the fields we go

“How are you so bad at this? You’re veteran Special Forces.”

Jesse gritted his teeth as he tried once more to wrangle the tape as Fives and Echo jeered at him. For not even half a second had they stopped bothering him. The tape folded in and stuck to itself as he watched in defeat.

He couldn’t wrap a fuckng present.

Lovely. Truly, what an amazing Life Day gift.

Echo and Fives were sporting near identical grins, but upon seeing his frustration, they both sobered. “C’mon, we’ll find someone to teach you. What could go wrong?” Fives crossed his arms, clearly smug at having found a solution.

In answer, Jesse looked over at the torn up corpses of several tubes of wrapping paper and a multitude of maligned tape dispensers.

“Right. It’ll go fine,” Echo said. Fives looked worried.

* * *

“The  _ mall _ ? What did, you want to bring me here so the whole  _ town _ could see me fuck this thing up?”

“Phwoar, Jesse, no need for the bitchiness. We’re just trying to help,” Fives said. His smirk said otherwise. Fives was a terrible liar.

Echo was intently reading through the store listings, and then pointed at one. “There! That one should have people who gift wrap.”

“Echo, that’s a bookstore. You just want to go there.”

“Well, it might take a while…”

“You’re being selfish. On our  _ noble mission _ for our _baby_ _ brother _ , no less.”

Jesse tuned the older twins out, his eyes settling on a smaller out of the way shop. A stationary shop. He turned to look at his older brothers, but they were devolving into name calling and old arguments, so he shrugged, and set off.

What a _shame_ they wouldn't see him walk off.

He slipped into the small store, breathing in the small of ink and old books. Stands of letters, envelopes, scrapbooking supplies, and gift wrapping supplies were in haphazard stacks all over the store. The atmosphere was calm and soothing, a startling contrast to the frenzy outside the doors. There was a crimson Twi'lek woman working by the register, and she waved at him, giving him a friendly smile before turning back to her task. He edged between two precarious stacks of notebooks making his way to the counter.

“Can I help you,” she asked politely. Her eyes were nearly as blue as the lines on his jacket, and he lost his train of thought for a second.

“I… Um. My brothers think that,” he grimaced pausing before sighing and continuing, “that I am ‘hopeless’ at wrapping presents, and dragged me to the mall to try and find an expert, apparently.” He made air quotes around hopeless, and she grinned. “Is there a chance…”

“Well, do you have a present with you?” She studied him, and he winced. 

“No. I was looking for an escape plan at first. Didn’t want those two jackals laughing at me.” He looked around the store, hoping for something, anything that any of his brothers might be interested in, but he didn't see anything. He hesitated, an idea forming. “Is there anything _you_ want? In this store? Something you’ve had your eye on?”

She startled slightly, her eyes widened and lekku curling up in a gesture he couldn’t read. “I really can’t…”

He leaned on the counter. “You’d be helping me out, honestly. Consider it thanks.” He smiled at her. “I mean it. This isn’t,” he shrugged, “Anything weird or whatever.”

“You’re sure?” She crossed her arms, looking up at him.

He nodded, “Yes.”

Her eyes drifted off as her mind wandered before her expression cleared and she nodded to herself. He watched her glide from behind the counter and slip through the aisles with a grace born of practice, pulling a small book from a shelf in the corner. 

She stopped in front of him. “You’re sure? Absolutely sure?”

“Yes,” he laughed. “Stop worrying.”

She smiled slightly, dipping her head, before slipping back behind the counter. He fished his wallet out of his pocket, and quickly paid for the notebook. “Now. I’d ask how hard can it be to wrap this, but there’s a giant pile of ruined wrapping paper sitting in my living room.”

She snorted, pulling a tube of wrapping paper, a bow, some tape, and some scissors out of her counter. She pushed them over to his side, and crossed her arms, taking on the fierce mien of a general. “First, you measure the paper.”

He looked down. “There’s no ruler.” His mouth twitched slightly as he watched exasperation flit into her eyes before being quickly hidden.

She paused, reevaluating. “Unroll  _ some _ of the paper from the tub, decorated side down, and place the notebook on top.”

He carefully followed her instructions, lining the book up with the edge of the paper.She muffled a snort, putting her hands on top of his, and moving the notebook a little over half of it’s width over, leaving paper at the edge. “And then cut with the same amount of paper on the other side?”

She shook her head. “You can, but I’d suggest adding another inch or two.” As he moved the book over, she asked tentatively, “Can I ask why…?”

“Why I never learned to wrap presents?” He thought about it, and then shrugged. “Not a happy childhood. Joined the military after that. Got used to just handing people their gifts, no frills.”

She nodded, accepting it. “Understandable. Now cut the paper, using the roll as a guide.” After she watched him cut the paper with a critical eye, she admitted, “This is actually a harder part. I was 22 before I could do this bit consistently.”

She walked him through the final bits, smoothing out the paper over the gift, taping it (“Small! Small pieces!” He had then, on purpose, pulled off a much longer piece, making her laugh.), and folding down the edges.

The paper refused to go down neatly on one of the ends, and she took it from him, her brow creasing as she tried to get it to lay flat. “It’s always one end,” she griped. “Put your hands here, this might take two of us.”

Working together, they wrangled the rebellious end into submission, getting it to lie flat. The present was a little battered, and its edges weren’t quite even. “I’d say that’s a successful present,” she said, her hands still resting on his where they had landed after folding things down.

Her red skin stood out against his own, stained with a multitude of colors of ink. Her hands were delicate, nimble, and so much tinier than his own calloused and blockier hands underneath. “I’m Jesse,” he blurted out, internally wincing. That was smooth.

She didn’t seem to mind though, her eyes crinkling at the corners as she beamed at him, her cheeks darkening slightly. “Miyala.”

He didn’t want to dislodge her hands from where they lay, but he picked up the wrapped notebook, and handed it to her. “Happy Life Day, Miyala.”

She returned his grin, pulling the wrapped gift to her.

“Would you want to go out for caf sometime?”

She pulled one of her lekku over her shoulder, fiddling with it. “I- sure. I get off in two hours, if- Is there a coffee shop you had in mind?”

“Mozart’s is usually pretty good. On the lake.” He rocked back on his heels, pulling his phone out and opening up the New Contact page. “Here.”

She tapped at the screen. “They have good pastries, too.”

Handing the phone back, he glanced at the screen to see her entry in the address book. He grinned at her, and she giggled, a quiet sound. "I guess--.”

“Hey, Jesse!” A loud voice cracked through the calm little shop and Jesse jerked his head up to see Fives and Echo saunter in, looking irritated. “You ran off. We had to look through every store in the mall.”

“Your brothers?” Miyala’s tone was dry, but her smile had transformed into a smirk.

“Save me,” he stage whispered to her, and she laughed.

Fives smiled charimingly at her. “Ma’am. I see why my brother found his way in here. Who could resist the song of such a pretty siren?”

She rolled her eyes, but Fives was not deterred. Echo was shaking his head behind his much more rambunctious twin, but Five steamrolled on, “Want to meet me for coffee when you get off?”

She stared at Fives. “No.”

His face fell, looking surprised.

“I’m already meeting Jesse.” There was a sly deliberation in her voice, something measured and clever, but her expression was wide eyed and innocent.

There it was. Jesse could admit to quite a bit of petty glee as his older brothers’ heads twisted to stare at him. Her fingers twisted, her hand offered his way, and Jesse took her hand, raising it to kiss her knuckles, smirking all the while. “It was truly lovely to meet you,” she said.

“I’ll see you later tonight.” He backed away, turning to walk over to his brothers, looking back and waving as he stopped at the threshold.

She waved back, still clutching the present close to her. Fives tugged him out, and Jesse turned red as his brothers slapped him on the back. 

He was going to marry that woman someday.

**Author's Note:**

> Bonus: she wakes up one morning to find a wrapped gift on the pillow, about two years into heir relationship. She opens it to find a ring tied to a leather bound notebook, and that's how he proposes, because I am sucker for writing or HC-ing sappy fluffy moments like that.


End file.
